Amalgimation
by SheWolfSlave
Summary: 1500 Slayers, and it all boils down to one girl, one girl who will be play both sides of the field and take a meaningful part of the final apocolypse between Wolfram&Hart and the good guys. At her side, is a vampire, a Vulpi, a witch... and Oz?
1. Chapter 1: Flight's Welcoming Committee

Chapter One: The Flight's Welcoming Committee

"Would the visitor whose red Camero with the license plate from California, please move their car? If it is not moved, it will be toed immediately. This area is restricted from all visitors."

Riley rolled her eyes in annoyance as she heard the same announcement five times over. _All right, we get the picture, _she thought bitterly. She knew that she was feeling tense, but her tension was mainly from the prospect of flying. She'd never lived outside of America, and never taken a trip on a plane before. In fact, she'd never been outside of New York. This was a first-time experience for her, and she knew a lot of people who said that an airplane flight was enough to make a person sick, along with many other exotic notions.

Hoping that it would settle her stomach, Riley stopped at one of the many convience stores in the place and picked up a couple of new magazines on the latest pop and rock groups, along with a bag of trail mix, a burger meal, and a large bottle of Dr. Pepper. It, along with Mountain Dew, were about the only things that could settle her stomach under any conditions, and since the airport only sold Coke products, she had to stick with Dr. Pepper.

Riley was in the middle of paying for the purchases when she grabbed the bag of stuff and turned around, only to bump into someone and spill all of her stuff. "Woah!" Riley exclaimed, surprised more than anything else. Her first instinct was to look down at her stuff, panic rising when she saw that her Dr. Pepper was beginning to fizz. She silently cursed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to open it for another half hour now, that is if she didn't want to get a face of foam and sticky hands. Riley fell to her knees almost instantly and began to reach out for her stuff.

"Oh, my gosh," a voice (quite monitone for a male) said as the person got down on both hands and knees and began to help Riley pick up her stuff. "I am so sorry. I should have been looking at where I was going."

"No, no, it's my fault," Riley said, shaking her head. "I should have looked before I turned around."

Riley looked up and blinked in surprise when she saw a boy who looked to be in his early twenties, staring right back at her. He had a pale face and green eyes, along with brown hair that had obviously been died at least a dozen times. He was wearing a brown jacket that seemed to fit just right, blue jeans and a plain red T-shirt. Looking at him, Riley was both dazed by his good looks and his normal form of dressing. Nowadays, most boys liked to go either ultra tight with their clothes, or ultra baggy. He seemed to wear the kinds of clothes that fit hi right, not necessarily what was "in".

The boy smiled and said, "Well, let's just call it a mutual act of oblivion."

Riley smiled in amusement as she stood up, taking her stuff from the boy. "Well, that certainly sounds like me. 'Oblivious' would be a perfect adjective."

The boy handed Riley her magazines, glancing at them for a second as he did. He looked at her with an expression that Riley (if she were to go out on a limb) could guess was surprise, and asked, "You like music a lot, huh?"

Riley nodded. "Just about everything, from rock, to country, to rap, to pop. I try to keep up mainly on the pop and rock scenes, though."

The boy looked Riley in the eyes and said only one word, "Interesting."

Riley and the boy stood there for a moment, looking at one another, and Riley realized that his mono-syllable conversational skills must be his personality, not coy. She found it as interesting as she did strange. Her thoughts were interrupted only by a voice on the intercom talking again, only this time saying, "Would the last of the members flying Flight 1183 to Australia please their way to Gate 55? The plane will be closing up in ten minutes for departure."

Suddenly realizing that that was her plane being called, Riley said, "I'm sorry, but I have to go. It was nice meeting you, though." She noticed the guitar case slung over the guy's back, and said, "Good luck with your music." With that, she ran past the boy, making her way to the plane.

It took Riley a little over a minute to find her way back to the gate. She gave the person standing outside of the gate, wearing a dorky uniform, her boarding pass and waited until it was scanned and verified. Once she was clear to go, she walked onto the plane, adjusting her backpack on her back. It was one of two pieces of luggage that she had, and the other one was being run through security. Still, the backpack had everything that she would need for short-term: her I-Pod, her laptop, a couple of books, and a sketchbook and pencils.

Moments after Riley boarded onto the plane, a woman wearing a black leather jacket that came down to the floor, a red dress underneath with red heals on her shoes, walked through the security machine. As she did, the metal detector went off. The security officer stepped forward and said, "Excuse me, ma'am, would you please take off any metal objects that you may have?"

The woman turned around and suddenly grabbed the security officer by the neck, yanking her head to the side. She opened her mouth, revealing fangs, and bit down hard on the woman's neck. The security officer let out a gasp of shock, only to fall to the ground several seconds later. The woman who had bit her turned around, her black hair swinging to the side as she revealed her face, a smirk all over it. "Don't worry, I won't be coming back through here." With that, she sauntered off, not stopping until she reached Gate 55.

On the plane, Riley felt a pit grow in her stomach when she saw how tiny the plane was. It had two rows of seats, but the rows were only two seats wide on one side, and three on the other. The aisle was the width of one seat, and Riley saw signs for a bathroom at the far end and at the back of the plane. She swallowed hard, determined not to show her discomfort if at all possible. She made her way down the aisle, hoping that her seat would be in the aisle of three, but dismayed when she saw that it was in the aisle of two. She sat down and set her backpack underneath her seat, having heard the way that a person was supposed to act on a plane from her friends in New York

Riley leaned her head back against the pillow of the seat and closed her eyes, only to be surprised when she heard a familiar voice say, "Well, isn't this a coincidence?"

Riley opened her eyes and blinked in surprise when she saw the boy from the convience store looking down at her, a semi-smile on his face. "Hi," she said, not masking her surprise and pleasure. "This is a surprise."

"It looks like I'm seated next to you," the boy said.

Riley stood up and let the boy sit on the seat beside her, sitting down beside him in her own seat once he was settled. She re-buckled herself in, only to see him looking at her with interest. She frowned, wondering if something was wrong. "Is there something wrong?" she asked, voicing her thoughts.

The boy shook his head. "Just marveling at the world's coincidences."

Riley shook her head. "I don't believe in coincidences."

"Then it must be Fate," the boy said, "Although I have to admit that that's a pretty cynical way to look at life."

Riley shrugged. "It's the way I've had to be in order to survive."

"Where are you from?" the boy asked.

"New York," Riley explained, pulling her hair back behind her shoulder as she looked at the boy. "You?"

"California," the boy said. "So, are you from the rich, eat-only-salad part of New York?"

Riley chuckled. "Not at all. I'm from the Bronze."

The boy raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Wow. I visited there once."

"Really?" Riley asked with interest. "And what was a boy from California doing in New York?"

"Playing for a club, with my band," the boy said.

"Really?" Riley repeated. She held her hand out and said, "I'm Riley, Riley Fielders."

"Oz," the boy said, shaking Riley's hand.

Riley smiled, impressed. "Interesting name."

"Not really," the boy said, sounding as if he didn't really care about much.

Riley blinked and asked, "Is that why you're going to Australia, to play with your band?"

Oz shook his head and said, "No, not yet. They'll be joining me in a month or so to check out if there are any good clubs, but we're not that big yet. No, I'm going to go visit some friends of mine."

"Is there a girlfriend in this bunch?" Riley couldn't help but ask. She couldn't imagine Oz being part of a relationship, because his personality (if you could call it that) was pretty much non-existent. It would take an incredibly patient girl with an overabundance of personality to deal with his sarcasm.

Oz shook his head. "Not one, several."

"Oh?" Riley asked with mock interest, knowing that he was joking. "Sounds exciting."

Oz nodded, also playing along. "Totally. One for every major song played by Greenday."

Riley chuckled and shook her head. "I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of Greenday."

Oz blinked and said with another semi-smile, "Me either."

The two continued to talk, and Riley learned quite about Oz in the ten hours they sat together. She learned that he'd had a girlfriend, Willow, but they weren't together anymore (for reasons he wouldn't explain) and that he hadn't dated anyone since, and that had been three years ago. He'd traveled with his group, grown up in Sunnydale, California, and had traveled all over the world, even Tibet. Riley envied his experiences traveling, and told him about where she lived, how she had been on the high school soccer team, graduated two months ago, and was planning to attend one of Australia's colleges, that she was going to a city called Terano in Australia, a place where she could attend the local college and get an education (where she secretly planned to fight vampires and demons, since there was a hellmouth under the local high school). Oz seemed interested (if you could call it that) in her plans, and she admitted to him that she had once tried to learn how to play the guitar, but it had turned into a big mess with a bunch of caluses and no tallent. The last two hours of the flight, Riley and Oz were silent, Riley tempted to fall asleep, but reminded to stay awake by I-Pod and sketch book. She wasn't great, but she knew that her drawings at least came out looking like what they were supposed to look like. She went as far as to draw a picture of Oz, who spent a large portion of the end of the trip looking out the window next to him, not even noticing her as she drew him. She smiled as she watched the progress of the drawing, which came out remarkably well.

Riley felt herself drifting off to sleep after she heard the flight attendant mention over the intercom that they had less than forty-five minutes before they arrived at the airport. Feeling that she could relax for the first time, Riley closed her eyes, and felt herself begin to drift away. All of a sudden, a scream sent her eyes flying open, and her senses became attuned all over again.

Riley spun in her seat, stopped for a second by her seatbelt. She quickly fumbled around and got herself unbuckled, only to hear Oz do the same. He looked around, confused as well, as he asked, "What was that? Did you hear that?"

"Who didn't?" Riley muttered, getting to her feet. Oz did the same thing, both making their way into the aisle. Riley looked up toward the front of the plane, past the curtain that led into first class's space. She was certain that the scream had come from there, but caution told her not to rush in panic. That wouldn't do anyone any good.

Everyone in the coach department began looking around nervously. Riley made her way slowly toward the first class department, surprised when she realized that Oz was following her. She looked back at him and said, "Go sit down."

"No way," Oz muttered, barely loud enough to hear. "I'm going with you."

Riley felt like arguing, but when she felt a special tingling through her body, saying that whatever was in the other department was moving, she decided not to and focused her attention on the front of the plane. She made her way toward the other department, passing by several rows of scared passangers, and stopping only when she reached the curtain. She opened the curtain up, her eyes widening in alarm when she saw several bodies lying on the ground, blood oozing from their necks.

"Oh, my gosh," Oz said, looking around. "There must be ten of them."

Riley's eyes were only on the bodies for a second, moving to the one standing person in the room. She was standing up straight, holding onto a body that she clutched in her arms. Her mouth was rested on the teenage girl's neck, drinking blood from it viciously. Sensing that someone was there, the woman looked up, revealing dark eyes. She had long black, curly hair that was partly pulled back, the rest sprawling out over her shoulders and back. She wore a black leather jacket that came down to her ankles, and a red, provocative dress underneath. She had her mouth open, revealing lots of blood, and fangs. Riley's eyes narrowed angrily. Vampire.

"Uh-oh," the vampire said, dropping the body in her arms and stepping back a step, looking almost bashful. "I've been caught."

"The scream kind of gave it away," Riley said, stepping inside and over a dead body. "Though you could have been a little tidier in your luncheon."

"But it's no fun to have a party without someone else," the vampire said, touching her chin with one of her hands while the other rested underneath her arm. "After all, it was such a lovely meal."

"Druscilla," Oz said, his voice colder than normal and his eyes narrowed in dislike.

Riley looked at Oz in surprise. "You know this vampire?"

Oz just said, "More than I'd like to admit."

"Hello, puppy," Druscilla said, looking at Oz with a twisted smile. "Come to enjoy the picnic with me?"

"Sorry, Druscilla," Oz said sarcastically. "Not interested."

"Too bad," Druscilla said. "I guess I'll have to kill you both now."

"I don't think so," Riley said.

"Watch out, Riley," Oz said. "She's tough."

"I can handle her," Riley said, stepping forward. She punched out at Druscilla, only to have the vampire dodge. She expected this, and as Druscilla was distracted by moving, she kicked the vampire in the stomach, knocking her backward against the wall. As Riley went in for another attack, Druscilla blocked the punch, landing one of her own before shoving Riley away. She then raised her hands, her middle and index finger in particular, and said in a strange voice, "Look at me."

"Don't look at her, Riley!" Oz exclaimed. "She'll take control of you."

"Got it," Riley said, closing her eyes. She focused on her senses, able to detact where Druscilla was by her natural Slayer senses. She then felt Druscilla punching out, and instinctively blocked, hitting a hand and deflecting it. Instead of letting it go, however, she grabbed onto the wrist and suddenly did a spin-kick that sent Druscilla flying up against the wall again. This time, Riley opened her eyes and reached back underneath her leather coat, instinctively thinking that she had a stake. She cursed herself when she remembered that they were all in her trunk.

Druscilla fumbled to her feet, looking somewhere between drunk and drowsy as she stumbled toward Riley. She then blocked a punch Riley sent at her, only to grab Riley by the head, holding her by the hair, and forcing her to look into her eyes.

"Look at me," Druscilla insisted. Riley felt herself being drawn into Druscilla's gaze, unable to look away. She feared that she would be caught there forever, when she suddenly felt the connection break. She felt herself fall to the ground, all of the energy within her suddenly drained. She looked around, completely confused, and was surprised when she saw Oz on top of Druscilla as they fell to the ground, him holding onto her as he ripped her off of Riley.

Riley gasped for air, feeling her limbs shake. She then felt strength begin to fill her again, and she made her way to her feet, waiting a moment before joining the attack. Her surprise only rose to a maximum when she saw Oz draw out a stake, the type that Riley used in her Slaying, and prepare to stake Druscilla.

"Wait, Oz," Riley said, holding a hand up.

Oz turned and looked at Riley in surprise, clearly not expecting an interference. Riley shook her head. "Don't stake her yet. I'll take care of her later, after I squeeze as much information out of her as possible."

"Information?" Oz asked, sounding as though he didn't quite understand.

"Yeah," Riley said, somewhat uncomfortably. "She was here for me, and I want to know how she knew that I was on this plane."

"You?" Oz asked, though Riley wasn't sure if it was out of surprise, curiosity or disbelief.

"Yeah," Riley said, and then asked, "How did you know her?"

Oz looked around and said, "Riley, I'm not sure that this is the best place to talk about... you know... stuff."

Riley suddenly remembered where they were, and added, "Yeah. I guess you're right."

Oz sat down beside Druscilla, who was unconscious, and said, "We're almost there. We'd better get seated."

"Right," Riley said. "But I don't want to leave her."

"We'll sit here," Oz said. "I'm not going to move until I have to."

"Okay," Riley said, sitting in a seat across from Oz.

The flight attendent, who seemed to know nothing about the incident, had been locked in the bathroom. Riley didn't let her out, not wanting to cause a scene. When they reached the airport, the first thing that she and Oz did was to grb Druscilla and make a break for it, before the pilots or anyone else could get off the plane. They gave the excuse that they were getting a patient to urgent care, but they quickly grabbed a cab and stuffed Druscilla inside, neither saying a word to one another the entire time. They stuffed all of their luggage (which they'd quickly grabbed) in the trunk and told the cab driver to leave, but with that aside, nothing was said.

As the cab driver drove away, Riley couldn't help but think, _Australia, New York, I guess there isn't a difference. I really am a Slayer._


	2. Chapter 2: Awkward

Chapter Two: Awkward

The cab driver kept driving until he finally asked where he was going. When Oz and Riley looked at one another in confusion, they said to take them to the nearest hotel he could find. It took less than fifteen minutes before they reached a hotel, not a fancy one by any means, but Oz and Riley were able to find a double for a fairly cheap price. Riley grabbed the chains that she'd had in her trunk and put them around Druscilla's wrists and ankles, shoving her in the bathroom and hanging three crosses on the door and doorknob so that she couldn't get out. Once Riley was sure that she'd secured Druscilla within the bathroom, she stepped out, closing the door behind her. She was surprised to see that Oz had unpacked a change of clothes and was changing his shirt in the room, getting rid of the one that had blood on it.

Riley frowned as she watched him. "Do you think it was wrong to abandon the others on the plane like that? They're probably going to see our escaping as a sign of guilt for the murders of ten people." She moved over to the bed and sat down on it, facing Oz.

"Probably," Oz admitted as he pulled the new shirt on, adjusting it on himself. He looked at Riley and said, "But spontaneity has never been my thing."

"Shocker," Riley said sarcastically.

Oz nodded to the bathroom. "She safe in there?"

"'Safe' as in locked in there with no way to get out without killing herself, yes," Riley said, looking at the bathroom. "If she does manage to get out, though, she won't be safe from me for very long."

"So you think that you can get information out of her?" Oz asked, closing his duffle bag, the only luggage he had with him, other than his guitar.

Riley nodded. "I have my own ways of persuading vampires to do things."

"I'm sure," Oz said, zipping the bag shut all of the way. He looked up at Riley and asked, "Those moves you pulled on the plane..." Riley blushed, knowing that she had given away way too much of herself and her style, and her secret, on the plane. Oz frowned even more. "Was that some of your persuasion?"

"Not really," Riley said. "I can get a little mean when I'm persuading. That was just getting her to stop."

Oz nodded and sat down on the bed, facing Riley. "So, you're a Slayer then?"

Riley looked at Oz in alarm, her eyes wide in panic. "What did you say?"

"Slayer," Oz repeated. "You're one of them."

"How did you know about the Slayers?" Riley asked, confused.

"One of my friends is a Slayer," Oz admitted. "I helped her out when I was in high school and college, until I left and began traveling."

Riley stared at Oz in surprise. "Yeah, I am. How did you know?"

"Wasn't hard," Oz said, shrugging slightly in carelessness. "That strength, that speed, those quick reflexes, not to mention you didn't wig out when you saw those bodies. Classic signs of a Slayer."

"You didn't do so bad yourself," Riley pointed out.

"That's because I'm used to this kind of stuff," Oz admitted.

"'Stuff'?" Riley asked, interested.

"You know, vampires, werewolves, witches, the occasional monster made of goo," Oz said, naming off a list.

Riley couldn't help but smile, trying not to laugh. "So, what now?"

Oz blinked and said in reply, "I guess you take care of Druscilla and I go on with my life."

"First, I want to know how you knew about Druscilla," Riley said, her eyes narrowed. "You seem to know this girl pretty well, and I know nothing about her."

"Well, to start with, she's over two hundred years old," Oz said. "So I'm not sure she's really a 'girl'."

"Wow," Riley said in surprise.

Oz nodded and said, "Also, she's a psycho. She used to date this guy, Spike."

"Also a vampire?" Riley asked, taking a leap.

Oz nodded. "He was insane, but not like Druscilla. She's literally insane, which combined with magic powers and being a vampire, doesn't equal to good."

Riley nodded. "Right, don't let her around my weapons. What else?"

"She's obsessed with dolls and killing," Oz said. "Pretty much your typical vampire."

Riley nodded. "Okay. You gonna leave now?"

Oz shook his head. "I don't have to be anywhere until tomorrow, and I want to make sure that you and Druscilla don't get into another fight."

Riley nodded in acceptance, understanding those reasons. The rest of the night went swiftly. Unlike the plane flight, where Oz and Riley had talked quite a bit, the night went on silently, neither really saying anything. Riley wasn't sure if it was the new dynamic of having Druscilla in the room that kept them both silent, or the sudden uncertainty that played a part. Now, the two were involved in each other's lives, only if only for another day, but it was still there, and they knew nothing about one another that the other hadn't told them. Riley found herself wondering what more there was to know about Oz that he wasn't telling her, and he found himself doing the same with her.


	3. Chapter 3: The Council

A?N: Okay, now I know that Wesley's dad is on the Watcher's Council, but I had the bastard, so I'm not going to put him in this story, if I can avoid it, anyways. Here it goes. Now, I know that the story is kinda short and pointless so far, but it'll start to pick up soon. And no, for the people who hate Druscilla, she is not going to die. So don't ask.

* * *

Chapter Three: The Council

Oz let out a silent sigh as he finished pulling on a clean shirt. He looked around as he adjusted it around his waist. His eyes fell on Riley, who was still lying in bed, sleeping soundly. He'd woken up about half an hour ago, at roughly five o'clock in the morning. To him, it was more like seven, so it was no wonder that he would wake up earlier. Still, he'd chosen to take the chance to get dressed without her seeing him. Then, maybe he could get out without getting caught, especially by Riley.

Oz turned around and grabbed his duffle bag from where it lay underneath the bed. He'd set it there the night before so that the area looked neat, and so that it was easy to access without tripping over. He shoved his dirty clothes inside and zipped it back up, trying to be as quiet as possible. He was about ready to load up when he remembered that he'd left his hair gell, toothbrush and toothpaste in the bathroom. When he'd gone in earlier, Druscilla had just been coming to, and he knew that she would be awake and conscious by now. Even so, Oz knew that he couldn't leave without his hair gell.

Setting his stuff back down on the bed, Oz walked over to the bathroom and opened the door, not surprised to see Druscilla sitting up the bathtub, but unable to go anywhere because of the chains that Riley had been smart enough to pack. Druscilla was looking over at Oz expectantly, a smirk growing on her face when she saw him.

"So, the puppy spent the night with the Slayer?" Druscilla said in her childish, sickening voice. Oz ignored her as he moved past Riley's hairbrush and own toothbrush and toothpaste to get at his hair gel. Druscilla clucked her tongue in mock disappointment, and then said, "I guess the witch wasn't enough for the puppy, or was it the other way around?"

Oz felt his skin burn in anger, and he turned to look at Druscilla. "I wish that I could stick around to see Riley stake you, Druscilla, but I have somewhere to be."

Druscilla moaned, kind of like listening to a child who has just had their candy taken away. "The puppy doesn't like me, barks at me with his mean fangs."

"You wish," Oz muttered, grabbing his toothbrush and tooth paste and turning to leave.

"The puppy likes the Slayer, but would _never_ take advantage of her," Druscilla teased.

Oz stopped in his place, his muscles tensing. He closed his eyes, reminding himself to remain calm. Otherwise, he would transform and everything would be lost.

"The Slayer doesn't know about the puppy's claws and tail, does she?" Druscilla asked, sounding almost delighted.

Oz's muscles twitched, but he refused to answer as he walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him, in spite of his overwhelming urge to slam it. As the door closed, the first thing that came to Oz's sight was Riley, still lying in her bed. Her eyes were closed and her head rested on the pillow, which was rested on her arms. Lying there, her hair was brushed back over her shoulders, lying sprawled out on her back. Oz walked over to his stuff, looking down at Riley. As disturbing as it was, Oz could smell her scent, and for some reason, it had been implanted in his head since he'd first met her in the airport. True, she was beautiful, but he had no intention of allowing himself to like her. As much as he hated to admit it, he was still in love with Willow, and still hurt by the circumstances surrounding their break-up.

Suddenly feeling the overwhelming desire to get away from Riley and Druscilla, Oz grabbed his duffle bag and guitar case, swung the case over his shoulders. Oz then grabbed a letter he'd written and tossed it on the nightstand beside Riley's bed. He looked down at her one more time, then walked out of the hotel room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Riley walked across the room, shoving the rest of her clothes into her trunk after having finished changed. She was closing the trunk when her eyes fell upon a letter lying on her bed. Riley picked up the letter, turning it over in her hand. She'd read it already, twice. It was a letter from Oz, who had disappeared before Riley had been able to wake up. He'd written (rather sloppily) that he had to be somewhere by seven, and didn't have time to stay around, but that he would try to get hold of her and find out how things with Druscilla went. Riley walked over to the trash can and dropped the letter in it. _It doesn't matter,_ she tried to tell herself._ If I see him, I do. Until then, I need to go see the Watcher's Council and find out what the heck they want from me._

Riley waited outside of a building, a large building that was covered in security. Riley had been instructed to come here, and had now been instructed to wait while someone was reached. After about ten minutes, the secretary at the front desk said, "Go ahead to level 3. The door you want is number 323."

Riley had obeyed and gone up to the specified room. She knocked on the door, not quite sure what to expect, and was somewhat surprised when a normal looking man standing there, if you considered a thirty-some year old man in a grey suit and glasses normal.

"Hello," Riley said awkwardly. "My name is Riley, Riley Fielders."

"Yes, welcome, Riley," the slender man said. "Please, come in."

Riley frowned as she entered the room. She looked around and saw a total of six people standing there, all of them in suits. Only one was a woman, and she was wearing glasses that made her look extremely stuffy.

"Welcome to Australia, Riley," the man who had let Riley in said, closing the door behind her. "We were expecting to see you, and I'm glad to see that you are in one piece."

"Excuse me?" Riley asked, confused.

"Your flight yesterday," the man said as he walked in front of Riley, turning to face her. "We heard that there was an attack, ten bodies left dead, and two flight members disappeared. You were one of the two flight members."

"Oh, yes," Riley said, shaking her head. "There was a vampire on board, and I had to stop her from killing everyone in the coach class after she'd already killed the first class."

"And your accomplice?" the woman asked, stepping forward with her hands folded behind her back.

"He had other business to attend to," Riley said.

"Did he already know about vampires and such creatures?" the woman asked.

Riley nodded. "Yes, and he understood that I was a Slayer. He had no intention of telling anyone."

"Good," the first man said. "My name is Hepnor, Rubius Hepnor, by the way, and these are my colleagues. Miss Price," he said, indicating to the woman. "Mr. Collins." A man who looked to be no older than twenty-five nodded. "Mr. Blackman." A very tall man with black hair and glasses dipped his head. "Mr. Ingle." A short man who looked to be about thirty nodded. "And Mr. Carraway." The final man, a much older man who was carrying a laptop in underneath his arm, nodded. Hepnor faced Riley and said, "We are the six members of the Watcher's Council. I am the director of the Watcher's Council, taking Mr. Travi's stead. There used to be over a hundred of us, while now there are only six."

"What about Watchers?" Riley asked, curious.

Hepnor frowned. "As you know, there are over 1,500 Slayers now, and 800 are working with a private group, and while I'm working to get the other seven hundred with us, I am sad to say that we only have about two hundred and fifty Watchers, all of whom are presently occupied. We have more Watchers-in-training than ever before, but even so, we simply don't have any Watcher for you."

_Darn,_ Riley though sarcastically, but said, "That's fine with me, Mr. Hepnor. I work better on my own."

"I understand that, Riley," Hepnor said, nodding. "However, there is someone who I would like to send to live with you while you are starting out here, a Watcher-in-training who will report to us any events. You will learn together, and she is also an American, so I feel that you two will get along well."

_Great,_ Riley thought, sarcastically again. "Who is this?"

Hepnor raised his head and said loudly, "Dawn, you may come in."

Riley turned her head and blinked in surprise to see a girl who looked to be a little younger than herself, walking into the room from an office in the far corner. The girl had long, straight light brown hair and green eyes that seemed to laugh without her actually smiling. She was wearing a red shirt and black vest and pants, and waved when she saw Riley.

"Hi there," she said. "I'm Dawn, Dawn Summers."

"Riley Fielders," Riley said, and then looked at Hepnor. "I'm only doing this on two conditions: You provide money and home, because I don't _exactly_ have a trust fund here."

"No problem," Hepnor said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out three keys. "We've recently acquired a mansion near where you will be going to school, Miss Fielders, and I feel that it's best that you have a place where you can both train and relax. There are twenty-three bedrooms, same amount of bathrooms, and plenty of extra space for individual training. Riley, you will find a car waiting beside the house for you, and a driver's license inside the glove compartment."

Riley took two of the keys and asked, "And money?"

"There is a bank account in Terano that will have money wired to it every month for your access," Hepnor said, handing Riley a debit card. "Feel free to use the money for any purposes, but remember that you only get that amount per month."

"Fine," Riley said, pocketing both the card and the key.

"And what is your second condition?" Hepnor asked.

Riley looked up at Hepnor and narrowed her eyes as she said, "Don't question my methods or my opinions. I won't turn on you guys, but I'm not going to do things by the book just because you want me to. My methods have kept me alive, and I have no intention of turning on them now."

Hepnor nodded without hesitating. "Of course." He looked and Dawn and asked, "Do you have any questions?"

Dawn shook her head. "None. I'll take her over there in my car."

"Splendid," Hepnor said. He held out two cell phones and said, "Here you go. Use these to communicate. We'll be checking in on you girls once a month to see how things are going, but other than that, you're free to lead your lives."

"Thanks," Riley said half-heartedly as she took the phone and set it in her back pocket. She then turned and said to Dawn, "Come on, let's go."

Dawn and Riley began to walk out of the building. As they did, Dawn said, "So, are you ready to head over to the new house?"

"Not yet," Riley said. "We need to go by my hotel and grab my stuff, and someone."

"Someone?" Dawn asked, confused. "Who do we need to get?"

* * *

"Druscilla?" Dawn exclaimed. She shook her head as she backed up. "No way. No, no, no."

"How is it that everyone knows her except me?" Riley exclaimed in disbelief.

"Ooh, the Slayer's sister," Druscilla said in her silky voice as she looked at Dawn. "Come here, pet, you'd make a lovely treat."

"Oh, shut up," Riley said, suddenly turning around and nailing Druscilla in the face. Druscilla's head went back and hit the edge of the bathtub, knocking her out.

"Nice hit," Dawn said, sounding impressed as she stared at the unconscious Druscilla.

"Thanks." Riley turned around and faced Dawn, who looked thoroughly disturbed, and she asked in confusion, "You're the sister of a Slayer?"

Dawn nodded. "Yeah, Buffy, Buffy Summers."

"The original Slayer," Riley said, nodding as she made the connection. "So, _that's_ how you became a Watcher?"

"In-training," Dawn reminded her, and then said, "Kind of. I mean, I was never really special. I didn't do magic, like Buffy's friends, and I wasn't a vampire or a Slayer, so I was always stuck doing the research. I enjoy it, and it seemed to just fit."

Riley nodded. "Well, you're going to have to finish out your high school career here, as well as doing your Watcher training."

Dawn nodded. "If you're worried about me being around and an annoyance, don't worry. I'll be so busy that you'll barely notice me."

"Fine, I really don't care," Riley said. She then picked Druscilla up and carried up out of the bathroom. "But the vamp comes with us."

"You really want to take her with us?" Dawn asked uncertainly. "But, she's a vampire."

"I want what's in her head, not her blood," Riley said. "Even if it isn't flowing."

"All right," Dawn said skeptically. "You're the Slayer, so I guess you know what's best."

"Right," Riley said. "I'll be back in a minute. I'm going to take her outside." She walked outside, put her in the back seat of Dawn's SUV, and looked around to make sure that Dawn couldn't see her. She then pulled out a syringe from her back pocket and stuck it into Druscilla's neck. She saw the vampire twitch for a second, only to relax again as she was forced into unconsciousness. Riley then put the syringe in her pocket and said, "There we go. Now, you're not going to do anything for at least half a day." With that, she closed the door and walked back into the hotel room, where she saw Dawn crouched down by the far bed. "What are you doing?" Riley asked.

Dawn stood up, a silver chain necklace and green string of beads in her hands. "I found these by this bed."

"Oh," Riley said in surprise as she walked over, taking the stuff from Dawn. "He must have left them here when he left."

"_He_?" Dawn asked in surprise.

Riley shook her head. "A friend, no one you know, I'm sure." She turned the necklace and beads over in her hands and thought, _I'd better return this to him, but I have no idea of how to get a hold of him._ She clutched them in her hand and thought, _I'll get them to him later, somehow_. She then shoved the jewelry into her pocket, facing Dawn and saying, "Well, let's get going."

"All right," Dawn said, picking up Riley's trunk and carrying it outside.

* * *

As Dawn and Riley drove down the driveway toward the mansion, Riley was impressed by what she saw. The mansion wasn't so much a mansion as a castle. It was enormous, at least for her standards. It had two towers in it, making up something of a diamond-shaped house. It had a set of large double doors on the front porch. As Dawn pulled the SUV to a stop, Riley saw a black convertible sitting right outside of the house, the top pulled down. She silently thanked the Watcher's Council, and wondered why Giles could possibly hate them. They were taking complete care of her, and Dawn.

Riley stepped down out of the SUV once Dawn had stopped, grabbing Druscilla from the back seat as she did. Dawn walked over to the front doors and unlocked them with her key. By the time she'd finished, Riley was walking up behind her. Dawn then opened the doors, both girls stepping in at once. Inside, Riley found herself in even more awe. They had stepped right into the main hall. There was a flight of stairs that led up and away to two different hallways, and underneath, there were two couches and two single-seated chairs to relax in, right in front of a fireplace.

The place looked old, mid-evil even, but Riley felt relaxed her, at ease. She then remembered that she had Druscilla, and said, "I'm going to go look around for a place to keep our _guest_." She emphasized the word "guest" to make it clear that she wasn't fond of Druscilla's presence. Dawn seemed to get the picture and said, "I'll bring in our stuff from the car." With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Riley and Druscilla alone.

Riley made her way up the stairs and down the hallway. She soon found a flight of stairs that led down and away from all of the doors that Riley guessed were for the bedrooms. Riley followed down the steps and was surprised to see that it led to something of a cellar. It was large, spacious, shaded from the sun, with the exception of one small window on the top of the far wall, too small for a person to fit through. Riley smiled when she looked around. This was the perfect place for Druscilla. Riley set the vampire down and walked back up the stairs. She had no fear of Druscilla waking up, and if she did, there was only one way out, and she would have to get past Riley and Dawn to make it into the daylight.

Riley made her way down to the main hall, where she saw Dawn bringing in the last of their luggage. "This place is perfect," she said. "I've found a cellar that we can use to chain Druscilla up in. I've got enough stuff in my luggage to keep her knocked out for a day or two, which is enough time to put up some kind of cage or something in there to keep her in."

"Do you think you have enough money to supply that?" Dawn asked uncertainly.

Riley nodded. "I've got money in the account in town, and I've got some chains and swords and stuff that will work fine for now."

Dawn suppressed a smile, looking down at her feet. Riley frowned, uncertain as she asked, "What?"

"Nothing," Dawn said, obviously struggling not to smile. She looked up at Riley, who clearly wasn't buying her excuse, and she said, "Well, I'm just trying to imagine a few scenarios in which you voluntarily carry chains with you."

Riley chuckled and shook her head. "It's nothing like that."

"Hope not," Dawn said as Riley walked over to her trunk, opening it and revealing half a dozen stakes, two sets of chains, a few changes of clothes, a dozen bottles of holy water, and a long sword. "Wow," Dawn said, looking into the trunk. "Looking at that really reminds me of living with my sister."

"No," Riley said, drawing out the chains and some metal spikes. "Just a Slayer."

Riley made her way back to the cellar where she'd left Druscilla, not surprised to see that the woman hadn't moved or awaken. She then took the two spikes in her hands and shoved them into the wall, one three feet above the ground, and one five. She then dragged Druscilla over and uncuffed one of her wrists. She then ran the chain through the hole at the end of the spike, re-cuffing Druscilla's wrist. Finally, she took one of the new sets of chains and connected one end to the higher spike, and one end around Druscilla's neck. This way, there was no chance of her escaping.

Once she was sure that Druscilla was secured, Riley grabbed her stuff and headed out. As she reached the main hall again, she looked around and smiled. Yes, this definitely felt like a possible home. More than that, it was perfect here.


	4. Chapter 4: Tana

Chapter Four: Tana

The next several days went by in a blur. Druscilla woke up after six hours under the influence of the drug Riley had injected into her, only to be angry to find out that she was chained. Dawn had gone and registered at the local high school, while Riley went to register at the local college, University of Terano. Looking over the campus, Riley felt at ease. If she'd wanted to, she could have lived on campus, but the mansion was only five miles away, and being there, she had more chances for training. She could stay after school every night to patrol, since she was taking evening classes, classes that occurred within a few hours of the sun setting. That, and she was taking some online classes, since the Council had seen to setting up wireless internet at the mansion, something that pleased Dawn to no end.

Riley had realized quickly after moving in with Dawn that the girl was extremely meticulous, as well as well-versed in Romanian, most Greek, some Babalonian, and a small bit of Latin. She used all of these in order to translate old texts that Giles had given her into English, writing down what she had discovered into one of her laptops. She had three of them, one white, one blue and one black. The black one was used only for putting research information in, the blue one was for financial and practical purposes, and the white one was for school. Riley had also learned quickly that although she didn't appear so, Dawn was a neatfreak and over-compulsive when it came to her research, which was probably why she would make such a good Watcher when she grew up.

Riley was standing in the book store, going through the list of books that she needed, a list that her counselor had given her when she'd met with her to sign up for classes. Riley was somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of books, but not because of how much she had to read. It was because of how much it would cost her. She'd already paid for all the metal it would take to build a cage to keep Druscilla in. Riley had no intention of letting Druscilla roam freely, but she didn't want to keep her neck chained to the wall, in case Druscilla decided to decapitate herself because she was so miserable, or bored.

"Philosophy 103," Riley said, looking through the books. She spotted the book she needed and grabbed it, continuing down the list. "European Literature For the Wise, and Persuasive Writing." She picked up both books, then moving to the science area. "Biology, The Unknown World," she muttered, looking around for her biology book. She felt a rush of surprise and delight when she reached up to grab the last copy, only to be surprised when another hand reached up for the same book. Riley looked down in surprise to see a girl an inch or two shorter than herself, reaching for the book. Riley pulled her hand back, as did the girl, neither clearly having seen the other.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl said, brushing her hair over her right ear. She had bleach-blonde hair, but it didn't look as though it had been died. She had clear blue eyes and an embarrassed smile that made Riley want to laugh in embarrassment. Riley noticed that she was wearing a grey vest and black shirt underneath, as well as blue jeans. Riley herself, was wearing her leather jacket (which she almost always wore) and a black shirt underneath, as well as blue jeans and black sandals.

"No, I didn't see you there, either," Riley said. She looked up at the book, and then at the girl and asked, "You in Advanced Biology, too?"

The girl nodded. "Yes. This is my sophomore year here, and I'm just now taking this class."

"Really?" Riley asked in surprise. "Well, this is my freshman year, but I'm on the advanced course."

The girl smiled in surprise. "So, you've just graduated?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah, I'm eighteen and a newbie here."

"And American," the girl said in surprise.

"Yep, that's me," Riley admitted.

The girl nodded. "Well, I was born and raised in Terano, so if you need any help or want some advice, let me know. I'm the person to ask. I'm seventeen, but I graduated a year early so that I could come here, get as much as I could get done by the time I turn eighteen, and then I'm out of here."

"Wow, that's a lot to accomplish," Riley said, sounding impressed.

The girl nodded. "Well, I've lived in Terano my entire life, and I don't want it to be all I was. Besides, I have _other interests_ to pursue." She said "other interests" like it was supposed to mean something to Riley, and Riley wondered what exactly it was that this girl was interested in learning that she couldn't learn in Terano.

"Really?" Riley asked in interest. She held her free hand out and said, "Riley Fielders."

The girl shook her hand in return. "Tana Marks."

"So, Tana," Riley said, glancing up at the book. "How do you think we should solve this dilemma?"

"Well, why don't you grab that one, and I'll go ask for another one," Tana suggested. "I've got a lot of books right now as it is."

"I can see that," Riley said, looking at the names of the books and reading them aloud. "Chemistry, Field of Numbers, Biology, the True Past, History of Terano's Myths, Mystical Creatures, The Unknown, Greek and Mystical Gods." She looked at Tana, who was blushing in embarrassment. "Sounds like a lot to take on, if you ask me."

Tana shrugged and said in embarrassment, "Well, I'm fluent in Greek and Romanian, and I'm trying to understand some Latin, but it's hard to find those books since it's a dead language."

"Most of those books don't sound like class books, but personal interest books," Riley pointed out.

Tana nodded. "Well, you can find a lot here that isn't just for school." She smiled and said, "This place will surprise you, and so will the people in it."

Riley nodded. "I have no doubt about that, whatsoever."

Tana and Riley both chuckled, and Tana asked, "Where are you living? Here in a dorm?"

Riley shook her head. "No, I live in a castle out on Elwood." She saw Tana raise an eyebrow, and she said, "Yeah, I only wish that didn't sound as corny as it does."

"You must live in that big mansion," Tana said, sounding impressed. "I'd heard that some big, anonymous corporation had bought it."

"They did," Riley said, trying to word her response correctly. "My _guardians _bought it."

"I thought you were eighteen," Tana pointed out.

"I am, but they're still a big part of my life," Riley admitted.

Tana nodded, thinking for a moment before asking, "Doesn't that place have like thirty-some rooms in it?"

"Yeah, but a friend is staying with me while attending high school," Riley explained. "Another American."

"An exchange student?" Tana asked in surprise.

"You could say that," Riley admitted.

"Well, this is a strange day," Tana said. "Two new people in Terano. That's not something you see every day."

"What do you mean?" Riley asked, confused. Visitors weren't usually uncommon to cities.

Tana shrugged. "It's nothing. It's just that there are like, ten thousand people in Terano, not an enormous city, I know, we have one college, two high schools, and no one ever really chooses to come here. Lots leave, but very few come. In fact, there are almost so little minors here now that the city council is considering closing down one of the schools and moving all of the kids over to one school."

"Why wouldn't people want to come here?" Riley asked. "It's beautiful here." That much was true, no question in it. Terano was beautiful, the city like an oasis and the outskirts where Riley lived like a desert, not a tree or plant anywhere, which only enhanced Riley's surprise that there was a garden in the center of the castle where she lived now.

"Yeah, but that's about Terano's only allure," Tana admitted. "This place is pretty common for _strange events_."

"_Strange events_?" Riley asked, hoping that she knew what Tana was talking about.

Tana nodded, not sensing Riley's hopefulness. "Yeah, strange and unexplainable. Trust me, if you stick around long enough, you'll find out what I'm talking about."

"I can take care of myself," Riley said, not worried at all.

Tana shrugged. "I hope so. I also hope that if you do run into them, you'll be able to stick around. That's why most people leave."

"I'm not going anywhere," Riley promised.

"We'll see," Tana said. She nodded to Riley and said, "I guess I'll see you in a few days in Biology."

"Sure thing," Riley said. As Tana walked off, Riley grabbed the Biology book and thought, _Yes, we will definitely have to see what this town has to hide under its mask._


	5. Chapter 5: A New Friend And Old

Chapter Five: A New Friend and Old

Riley rolled into the driveway, skidding to a halt in her black convertible. Then, without bothering to open the door, she leapt over it and grabbed her new books from the back seat. She then ran into the house, slamming the doors open as she did. She looked around, excited as she expected to see Dawn. Then, looking down at her watch, she remembered that Dawn hadn't expected to be home for another hour yet. Riley walked over to the couch, set her books down on it, and decided that she should probably take the blood she'd picked up in town to Druscilla. She wanted her functioning, not brain-dead. Riley grabbed the bag from on top of the books and ran up the stairs, heading down to the cellar where she found Druscilla sitting, leaning back against the wall as she looked up at the ceiling. Before facing the vampire, Riley put in a pair of clear, presciriptonless contacts, which made it impossible for Druscilla to control her, because she wouldn't be looking directly into her eyes then.

"Look a' all the pre'y stars," Druscilla said, rotating her head as she continued to look up at the ceiling.

"Hello, Druscilla," Riley said as she walked over, keeping her distance.

"I can smell it," Druscilla said, looking over at Riley. "Blood, the blood of a nice, big pig."

"Would you like it?" Riley asked, holding the bag up.

Druscilla pouted and said, "Not human, though."

"You can have either this, or nothing at all," Riley said.

"Lets me go and I won't drink your blood, little girl," Druscilla said, looking at Riley.

"Now, there's an idea," Riley said sarcastically. "Let a two hundred-and-some year old psychotic vampire off of the chains, just because she promises not to hurt me. I'll consider it, Druscilla, really."

"I promises to be a good girl," Druscilla said, looking Riley in the eyes.

"Well, sorry, Druscilla, but the ten dead people on the plane over here tend to make me not believe you," Riley said, mocking niceness.

"I only killed them because I was hungry," Druscilla said, looking upset.

"Kill a pig next time," Riley said, lowering the blood.

Druscilla looked up at the window. "The sun, it screams at me in the daytime."

"And what does it say?" Riley asked, tilting her head to the side somewhat. She'd grown used to Druscilla's stupid wording sicne they'd arrived in the mansion five days ago. She could understand just about everything Druscilla said, it just annoyed her to no end.

Druscilla looked at the other wall and said, "It threatens to kill me. It reaches in here, creeps and crawls as it tries to touch me. It wants to burn me."

"That's not going to happen, Druscilla," Riley said, walking over. "Now, do you want the blood or not? You haven't eaten in days." It was true. Druscilla had only taken one pint of pig blood, and that was the day after they'd arrived. She'd pretty much reacted the way she was now, but she knew that it was this or nothing.

Druscilla looked at the bag, then held her hands out. Riley dropped the bag in her hands, and Druscilla held it close to her, like a doll she wanted to protect. Druscilla looked up, her eyes filled with regret and sadness as she said, "Miss Edith isn't here with me anymore." Riley had discovered that Miss Edith was a doll that Druscilla pretty much relied on for stability, which only helped to encourage Riley's idea that she had the mind span of a five-year-old.

"No, she's not," Riley agreed.

Druscilla looked ready to cry. "I don't have no dolls anymore. They've all left me. They hate me, and this place." She raised a hand, looking down at the chains. "Spike used to use chains on me, used to beat me, too."

Riley rolled her eyes, not wanting to imagine what sort of creep would be with a girl like this, and definitely not wanting to imagine what they would do with a set of chains."

Druscilla shook her head. "He's gone now, my Spike. I miss him, his torture."

"Well, get over it, Druscilla," Riley said. "Because if he's gone, he's not coming back, and I'm sure he has no idea where you are now."

With that, Riley got to her feet and began to walk away, only to stop when Druscilla spoke again, this time talking to her. Riley looked back at Druscilla and saw her looking at her in confusion. "When will I be allowed to play again?"

Riley frowned. "Soon, Druscilla, soon." With that, she walked up the stairs and back over to the main hall. She was walking down the stairs when she saw the doors open, and Dawn entered. "Hey, Dawn," Riley said in surprise. "Didn't expect to see you home this early."

Dawn nodded. "Yeah, no problem. I, uh, just finished early."

Riley frowned, confused and suspicious. "What's going on, Dawn?"

Dawn looked up at Riley and shrugged. "Nothing's wrong. Why do you ask?"

"Because you're acting strange and suspicious," Riley said. "Did you do something?"

"No," Dawn said, shrugging and trying to pass for coy.

"Dawn," Riley said in a warning tone.

Dawn looked guiltily down at her feet and said, "I may have said something about Druscilla to my sister today."

"What?" Riley exclaimed in disbelief. "Dawn, we had an understanding."

"She's a cold-blood killer, Riley!" Dawn yelled in her defense. "I couldn't just stand by and let you, or anyone else, get hurt."

"It's been five days, and you couldn't keep your trap shut?" Riley exclaimed.

"Why do you want her alive?" Dawn snapped. "Why can't you just kill her and be over with it? There's nothing good in her."

"Like there is in Spike?" Riley asked in retort.

Dawn flinched and looked at Riley in surprise. "What?" she asked, clearly thrown.

"I got the info out of our guest," Riley said in annoyance. "Spike, vampire. Buffy, Slayer. They got together, and now he's dead."

"Well, technically he was dead before that," Dawn began, then shook her head, getting back onto the subject. "That was different."

"Why?" Riley asked. "Why was that different?"

"He had a soul," Dawn explained. "He wanted a soul, to be better. He got his soul back because he wanted to be with Buffy."

"Well, it's not like I'm letting Druscilla loose in the streets," Riley said. "I'm just trying to get information out of her, and my methods seem to be working pretty well."

"For now," Dawn snapped. "But what happens when Druscilla manages to trick you, get you under her powers, or someone else who comes in here?"

"You're being way too paranoid," Riley shook her head.

"That's because she killed another Slayer before, and she'll kill more if she has the chance," Dawn retorted.

"I'm not giving her the chance," Riley snapped, suddenly unable to deal with Dawn's self-righteousness.

"Kill her, Riley, before Buffy gets here and does it herself," Dawn said. She saw the surprised look on Riley's face, and she crossed her arms as she said, "That's right. Buffy's on her way here now, and if Druscilla isn't dead by then, she will be."

"You told her where we live?" Riley exclaimed in disbelief.

"That's right," Dawn said, staring at Riley through narrowed eyes. "What do you think you can do about it?"

Riley walked right up to Dawn and said in a low, but clearly threatening voice, "I told your boss when I came here that if he wanted my help, to back off and let me do things my way. Now, it may not be as proper or protocol as you like, but it's my job, and my methods. You want to question them, then get the hell out of here."

Dawn smirked. "I wish I could, but if I leave, I lose my apprenticeship. So, have fun, I'm on your side now. However, Buffy doesn't work for the Council. Whatever she does, she does. It has nothing to do with us."

Riley suddenly punched Dawn in the face, sending her flying across the room. Riley's eyes narrowed and flashed with anger. "This is why I don't work with other people," she muttered.

Dawn chuckled as she got to her feet, reaching up and wiping the back of her hand over the corner of her mouth, which was bleeding. "Too bad, Slayer, because there's another Slayer on her way. She'll be here by the end of tomorrow at the latest, and Buffy's been a Slayer for the last nine years. If you want a fight, pick it up with her. Then we'll see how tough you are."

"Get out of here," Riley said. "If I have to see you for five more minutes, Buffy's going to be digging a grave for her sister."

"Gladly," Dawn said, walking over toward the door. She stopped and looked back at Riley, saying, "You know, Riley, I really do like you, but I'm not going to sit around here and watch you kill yourself. I'll see you tomorrow, with Buffy." With that, she stormed out of the castle, slamming the door behind her.

Once Dawn was gone, Riley felt her body drain of energy. She leaned against the closest solid item, a metal stand. She leaned against it, then decided that she needed something strong. She walked over to the kitchen and opened up the fridge. Inside were three, one-pint jars of blood that Riley had bought for Druscilla. Behind them, however, were two cases of beer. Riley grabbed one of them and walked over to the couch facing the fire. She sat down on it, leaning back and popping the top of the beer (or yanking it off, in this case) before taking a long drink. Riley leaned her head back, and then remembered that she'd bought her books that day. Riley looked beside her and saw her five textbooks just sitting there, along with pens, pencils and paper that she'd bought that day. Riley picked her literature book up and set it on her lap, grabbing a pencil as she did. She was more than guilty and renowned for going through her textbooks, reading them, and either making corrections or notes that she'd observed or thought while reading. For books like this, it was usually notions, which varied completely from observations. She felt like a total nerd for thinking it, but Riley found that when she was tightly wound up, reading or doing homework helped relax her, as well as listening to music while she was alone. However, her speakers hadn't arrived yet, so she would have to listen to her I-Pod for that, which she didn't feel like retrieving.

Three hours later, Riley was on her second beer, running through the double digit pages of her literature book, when she heard one of the doors open. She could sense a body within the room, and she said aloud, "Dawn, if you're here about Druscilla, I'm still not interested in talking about it."

"Actually, I'm here about my stuff," a familiar voice said.

Riley spun around, a bad idea she realized when her head felt like it was spinning, and she recognized Oz standing between the door and the couch. She smiled when she saw him standing there, smiling in amusement. "Oh, sorry about that, Oz," Riley said, getting to her feet, slowly. She set down her book and bottle of beer before walking over, tucking her hair behind her ears as she did. "I was just... Wait a minute, how did you find out where I live?"

"Oh, this girl in town," Oz said. "Her name's Tana, I think. She was at the diner, where I was asking around, and she said that you were living out in some castle. This is the only one in the area, so I took a chance."

Riley smiled in embarrassment. "It is kind of hard to miss."

"Nice set-up, though," Oz said, looking around. "I take it the Watcher's Council likes you?"

"Me and Dawn, yeah," Riley nodded. "She's my roommate, for now anyways," she added, thinking of their fight earlier.

"Dawn?" Oz asked in surprise. "Is she another Slayer?"

"No, she's Buffy's sister," Riley said. "Buffy Summers, I guess. She's a Slayer, and Dawn's a-"

"Oh, that Dawn," Oz said, his expression clearing. Riley looked at Oz in surprise, and Oz said, "Remember how I said that I was from Sunnydale, California? Well, that's where Buffy's from, and she's the Slayer friend that I have."

"Wow," Riley said, impressed. "Small world this is turning out to be."

"What do you mean?" Oz asked, confused.

"You, Druscilla, Dawn," Riley said, shaking her head. "It's all just turning into one big family, from America to here."

Oz frowned, looking unsettled. "You mean you haven't killed Druscilla yet?"

"Nope," Riley said, shaking her head as she leaned back against the back of the couch, her arms folded. "I haven't, and I don't plan to for a while. I'm getting information out of her, not information I need, but it's still enlightening. I figure I'll eventually get the information I want. Until then, Druscilla's getting fed pig's blood, and Dawn's getting pissed."

"Why is Dawn here in Australia?" Oz asked, walking over and standing beside Riley, leaning back against the couch as well.

"Well, apparently there was some big fight in America last year that left the Watcher's COuncil with too many Slayers and not enough Watchers, but they have a bunch of Watchers-in-training, which it turns out Dawn is."

"Makes sense," Oz said, shrugging ever so slightly. "Why do I get the feeling that you two don't see eye to eye?"

Riley rolled her eyes. "She keeps comparing me to Buffy, using Buffy as a threat, and expecting me to be like the big, bad Buffy." She turned to Oz and said, "No offense."

"None taken," Oz said, shaking his head. "I'll be the first to admit that Buffy wasn't perfect, but she's also a strong leader. There's no reason to fault Dawn for idolizing her."

Riley rolled her eyes again. "It's just that I can't do anything here without Dawn having an opinion about it, not even keep a dead vampire alive."

"Well, the only vampire is a dead vampire," Oz pointed out, and then he added, "You have to give Dawn some credit and understanding. She saw Druscilla go around with Spike and kill everyone. Buffy nearly died several times because of Druscilla, and so did Angel."

"Angel?" Riley asked, confused.

"He's another vampire that Buffy dated," Oz explained. "He was cursed by some Romanians a hundred-plus years ago, and he fell in love with Buffy. She loves him back, but they can't be together because his curse won't allow him to have true happiness without losing his soul, which makes him bad and dangerous. When he's bad, his name is Angelus. When he's good, he's Angel."

Riley scoffed. "Sounds like Buffy has some issues with vampires."

"Maybe," Oz admitted. "But at least she puts herself out there."

"You know what the worst part about all of this is?" Riley asked, looking up at the ceiling. "I didn't even get to tell Dawn about Tana. No, she had to go off and call Buffy and let her know about Druscilla, and now Buffy's coming to Australia to 'kick my butt'."

"Wait, Buffy's coming here?" Oz asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Riley said, nodding. "Dawn thinks she'll be here sometime tomorrow. Why?"

"No reason," Oz said. "I just haven't seen her in three years. It'll be weird if I see her again."

"You gonna be around?" Riley asked, curious.

Oz shrugged. "Doubt it, but she might find me anyways. She has a way of doing that." He then shook his head slightly, as if trying to get back on subject, which was weird because he had been. "Anyways, I came here for my stuff, the necklace and beads that I accidentally left in the hotel room."

Riley nodded in understanding. "Yeah, they're upstairs. I'll go get them."

Riley ran upstairs and stopped in the first hallway, the same one that lead to the stairs that lead to Druscilla. She stopped at the first door on the right and opened it, walking inside. The room was large for a bedroom, thirty feet by twenty-four (Riley had measured it). There was a king-sized bed with a brand new, full set of comforter, two pillows, sheets and everything. There was also a window that faced the west, toward the sun as it set. There was also a desk, dresser, three book shelves and a mirror, as well as a personal bathroom, including a shower, and a walk-in closet. This was the house from heaven. Every room was equipped the same way. The Council had prepared for comfort. At the end of Riley's bed was her trunk, still filled with weapons. Everything else was in her dresser and closet.

Riley walked over to her trunk and opened it up. She reached in and pulled out the silver chain and beads. She turned them over in her hands, feeling a little weird about giving them up. She'd handled them every day since they'd moved in, and now she was getting rid of them. It was odd.

Riley walked over to the door and shut it behind her as she stepped outside of the room. She walked down the stairs and said, "Got 'em right here."

Oz, who was sitting on the couch, nodded to Riley. "Thanks. I didn't mean to forget them. I can hardly believe I left them behind."

Riley reached the floor and walked over to Oz, holding the stuff out. "Yeah, well, you were in a hurry."

Oz took his stuff and turned them over in his hands, smiling in a guilty way as he looked down at them. "Yeah, I guess that was kind of cold, just leaving like that."

"Well, I'm sure that it didn't help that you'd been there for twelve hours, unable to use the bathroom because Druscilla was in it," Riley said sarcastically.

Oz looked a little embarrassed. "Yeah, that, too."

"It's okay, Oz," Riley said. "I was a little hurt, but I'm okay now, honest."

Oz nodded and said, "Okay." He turned and looked at Riley's book. "College, huh?"

"Yeah," Riley said, nodding. "I registered today, bought all of my books. I start Monday." She looked at Oz with interest. "What about you? You do the college thing?"

Oz nodded. "Did. Don't."

"Ah," Riley said, lowering her head. "Part of the past you don't want to elaborate on."

Oz shook his head. "It's fine to talk about. After I broke up with my girlfriend, I left Sunnydale to travel, and I just never settled long enough to do the college scene."

"What about now?" Riley asked, prying.

Oz looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

Riley shrugged. "Why not stay in Australia and take a chance to do the college scene?"

Oz shook his head. "I'm not really thinking long-term."

"Where are you staying?" Riley asked curiously.

"At a hotel in Sydney," Oz said. "That's why I couldn't stay late that day."

"That's a two and a half hour drive," Riley said in surprise.

Oz shrugged. "I needed this stuff pretty badly." He held up his stuff in indication.

Riley walked over to stand beside Oz and asked, "Why don't you stay here tonight?"

Oz looked at Riley in surprise. "Excuse me?" he asked, sounding like he was trying to not laugh.

Riley blinked at him as she said, "You have a two and a half-hour drive back, and it's almost six. Now, I know that might not seem like very late, but the vampires will be out soon, along with all of the creepy crawlies here in town."

Oz looked at Riley for several moments before he asked, "Would that put you out?"

Riley smirked. "I have thirty extra rooms and a kitchen full of food and blood. I think I'll be okay."

Oz smiled and nodded. "Thanks. Mind if I get something to eat?"

Riley nodded to the doorway that lead to the kitchen. "Feel free."

The two spent the next two hours talking, and Riley felt the tension that had been present when they'd last seen one another drift away, until they were back to being like they'd been the day of their flight, open and friendly.

The two talked until they fell asleep. Unconsciously, Riley had fallen asleep against the back of the couch, and Oz had fallen asleep in the corner. At some time in the night, Riley's body slipped and ended up lying on Oz, her head on his chest. Neither seemed to notice. The sun went down, then proceeded to come up, heralding a new day. Neither moved, both completely asleep until a voice woke them up.

"Oz? What is going on?"

Almost instantly, Riley and Oz both snapped awake, and instantly became aware of their positions. They both sat up, looking around awkwardly as they leapt to their feet. They turned around, trying to see who was there (at least Oz did. Riley was feeling the adverse headaches of her choice of drink the night before, barely able to see). However, when Oz spoke aloud, Riley felt all pain in her head become of little consequence, her attention suddenly focused and alarmed.

"Buffy."


End file.
